1. Field
This invention relates to an apparatus for continuous singling of stacks of loose sheet material, in particular bank notes, vouchers, checks, separation cards, etc.
2. Related Art
In the processing of bank notes with bank-note processing machines, great importance is attached to the preparation of the bank notes to be processed. Often, bank notes are present in relatively disordered fashion, so that they cannot be readily inserted into the input pocket of a singler of the employed bank-note processing machine. Normally, disordered bank notes are formed by an operator into a stack which can be inserted into the input pocket of the singler in order for the bank notes to be grasped individually by the singler. The individual bank notes are subsequently processed in the bank-note processing machine. For this purpose, the properties of the bank notes are ascertained by sensors, for example their type, i.e. denomination and currency, their authenticity, their state, i.e. soiling, defects, etc., their suitability for further circulation, their position and orientation, etc. Further processing of the bank notes is effected in accordance with the ascertained properties, e.g. they are sorted into certain output pockets or destroyed by means of a shredder if the bank notes are too damaged or soiled so as to be no longer suitable for further circulation.
If it is necessary to separate different groups of bank notes from each other, e.g. bank notes coming from different depositors, there are inserted so-called separation cards between the bank notes of the different depositors. Said separation cards can be recognized by the sensors of the employed bank-note processing machine in order to separate the bank notes of the different deposits from each other. The separation cards can furthermore have information which can likewise be detected by the sensors and characterizes the different depositors, so that the different deposits can be associated with the particular depositor.
Preparation of the bank notes and optionally separation cards often requires considerable effort, however, so that preparation immediately before input to the input pocket of the singlet of the employed bank-note processing machine is always problematic when the employed bank-note processing machine processes bank notes at high speed. For in these cases there occur idle times of the bank-note processing machine, since the operator cannot insert a sufficient amount of bank notes into the input pocket of the singler because of the time required for preparation.
Therefore, the preparation of bank notes to be processed is often carried out in such a way that the bank notes, optionally together with separation cards, are inserted into boxes. Said boxes are brought to the bank-note processing machine. Then an operator must only remove the bank notes, optionally together with the separation cards, and insert the stack formed by the bank notes and optionally separation cards into the input pocket of the singler.
The described procedure is to be considered disadvantageous, because one or more operators must first insert the bank notes and optionally separation cards into the boxes for preparation. Subsequently, it is necessary that the bank notes and optionally separation cards deposited in stacks in the boxes must be grasped again by an operator in a further working step and inserted into the input pocket of the singler of the bank-note processing machine.
From DE 195 12 505 A1 there is known an apparatus for singling sheet material wherein sheet material to be singled is fed to an input pocket which consists of an upper portion and a lower portion. Through the use of two means of rakelike configuration moving vertically and horizontally within the input pocket it can be achieved that the singling of sheet material is effected without interruption, because further sheet material can already be inserted into the input pocket when previously inserted sheet material has not yet been completely singled. For this purpose, the described means alternatingly engage the input pocket and alternatingly transport sheet material into the singling position. Additionally it is proposed to realize the upper and lower portions of the input pocket as separate constructional elements, thereby making it possible to provide a multiplicity of lower portions into which sheet material to be singled can be inserted. For singling, sheet material is deposited on a platform of the particular lower portion and the lower portions can be transported to the singler by means of a transport system. At the singler the lower portions are conjoined with the upper portion and the singling of sheet material can be effected.
In the described procedure and apparatus it is to be considered disadvantageous, however, that the input pocket is divided into upper and lower portions. Consequently, an elaborate design of the lower portion with a stationary platform as well as the two described vertically and horizontally moving means associated with the upper portion is necessary in order to allow uninterrupted singling. Moreover, the lower portions must be designed as open carriers for sheet material to be singled. The latter do not have any great handling safety, because inserted sheet material can fall out of the open lower portions if they are not handled and transported very carefully.
From WO 2005/003005 A1 there is known a less elaborate apparatus for handling sheet material upon singling. There are likewise provided two means for feeding sheet material into the singling position. The feeding means are so used that the first feeding means receives a first stack of loose sheet material to be singled in the deposit position and guides it through a single-axis motion into a position where the uppermost sheet of the stack can be grasped by the singler. It thereby continuously feeds the stack decreasing in the course of sheet-by-sheet singling, so that the particular uppermost sheet of the stack can be grasped by the singler and singled. The second, only single-axis movable feeding means is meanwhile located in the deposit position and, during the singling of the first stack, receives a second stack likewise to be singled and to be fed and guides it out of the deposit position into a position where the uppermost sheet of the second stack comes to lie directly below the first feeding means. Thereupon the first stack to be singled and the fed second stack are conjoined by drawing the first feeding means now positioned between the two stacks out of the feeding path. Subsequently, the first feeding means is inserted into the feeding path at the position of the second feeding means on a loop path and thus takes over the conjoined stack from the second feeding means. The second feeding means can now return to the deposit position through another single-axis motion on the feeding path to receive the next stack to be singled.
This apparatus has the advantage that it is designed substantially more simply with regard to the means employed for feeding sheet material to the singler. Additionally, a stationary deposit area can be omitted. However, in this apparatus it is exclusively possible to place loose sheet material into the feeding mechanism in the form of stacks. Therefore, it is not possible to prepare sheet material for singling on a larger scale, without one or more operators having to handle the sheet material manually several times. Moreover, it is only possible to form stacks of small size to be able to place them into the feeding mechanism. Also, the use of boxes for preparing sheet material is not very helpful, since bank notes inserted into boxes must, for further processing, i.e. singling, be manually removed from the box by an operator again and inserted into the input pocket of the singler in order for the sheet material to be brought by the feeding mechanism into the singling position.